Television Producer

As a Television Producer, your main purpose is to deal with the practical and business side of a project, to allow the director and crew to concentrate on the creative aspects.

You would manage the production process from start to finish, organizing all the resources needed and often coming up with the initial idea for a project.

Your work might include:
deciding which projects to produce, or coming up with program ideas yourself
reading or editing scripts
securing the rights for books or screenplays, or getting writers to produce new screenplays
raising finance for projects
bidding for television broadcasters to commission your program
planning and managing resources and schedules, making sure that the entire production stays on schedule and within budget
hiring all the necessary technical resources and support services recruiting key production staff and crew, and being involved with casting performers
managing cash flow
making sure that the entire production stays on schedule and within budget

In smaller productions you may be involved in all of these areas and may even direct as well. In large TV productions, you may be part of a team of Producers with separate responsibilities.

You will need substantial experience in the creative and business sides of program making. You will also need an in-depth understanding of the production process, and a network of contacts in the industry.

You could work your way up through the industry to become a Producer in various ways. In television, you would usually start as a runner or production assistant. Producers of factual programs often start as program researchers or journalists. Alternatively, you could progress through production office roles, starting with production secretary and assistant production coordinator.